Possible Marijuana Cultivation Center Locations In DC Narrowed To Six

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Hydroponic plant growing system is on display in the weGrow marijuana cultivation supply store during its grand opening March 30, 2012 in Washington, DC. The store provides one-stop-shopping for supplies and training to grow plants indoors, from tomatoes to medical marijuana, though not the actually marijuana plants or seeds. DC government announced that it has picked six companies to grow marijuana and sell medical cannabis to registered patients. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)A store in DC provides one-stop-shopping for supplies and training to grow plants indoors, from tomatoes to medical marijuana, though not the actually marijuana plants or seeds. (credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — Six applicants are a step closer to becoming official medical marijuana cultivation centers in the District after receiving a notice from the D.C. Department of Health on Friday.

The locations, largely clustered in near the Langdon neighborhood in Northeast, must now apply for business licenses, building permits, certificates of occupancy and meet all other regulatory requirements before receiving official registration from DOH to operate the center.

City officials hope to announce five official locations on June 8. Those marijuana centers could be operational by the end of the year.

The six locations given the go-ahead by the DOH Friday are:

Abatin Wellness Center 1
2146 Queens Chapel Road NE

Montana Apothecary dba Alternative Solutions
2170 24th Place NE

District Growers (1)
2417 Evarts Street NE

Holistic Remedies (1)
1840 Fenwick Street NE

Phyto Management, LLC
3701 Benning Road NE

Venture Forth dba Center City
2210 Channing Street NE

“I am thrilled that the District of Columbia is one step closer to having the medical marijuana program available for those patients most in need,” Dr. Akhter, Director DC Department of Health, said in a statement released Friday. “The selected applicants went through a rigorous process and I am confident that these applicants are capable of ensuring patient and public safety, as they have met all the criteria defined in the program regulations.”

Thousands of residents in the District are expected to take advantage of legalized medical marijuana.

Comedy film Gone to Pot is running a free video contest asking people to explain why they like weed in 45 seconds or less. The top 10 will appear in the film and the top three will share $10,000. Celeb judges include comedian Margaret Cho and Academy Award nominated director Peter Bogdanovich. Facebook.com/gonetoptmovie or gonetopot.com